Ch.106Chapter 106: Trigger (5)

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As I left my sister’s office after discussing work-related matters at dusk…

“Wow…”

“It’s already night.”

Before I knew it, the sun had completely set, and night had arrived with the moon rising.

The night sky with heavy snow falling—though much lighter than yesterday—was, how should I put it?

“Beautiful…”

Just as Shizu, who had her arm linked with my left arm, said while looking up at the night sky, it truly was beautiful.

“Indeed.”

Since I felt the same way, I expressed my agreement with Shizu’s sentiment as we continued walking slowly.

It wasn’t an idle comment.

Anyone would say the same thing when seeing the moonlight asserting its presence through gaps in the dark clouds even as they poured heavy snow.

It was a scene that naturally explained why minstrels always included the moon, snow, and either wind or flowers when reciting verses describing the beauty of the night.

Normally, I should have been creating a warm atmosphere by chatting with Shizu about today’s events and tomorrow’s plans until we reached the dining hall, but…

[Even after extending my spiritual perception throughout the fortress, I see no signs of the impure mark being redrawn.]

Since responding to Fafnir’s voice quietly echoing in my head was equally important, before engaging in conversation with Shizu…

‘We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure.’

I prioritized discussing work-related matters with Fafnir who had spoken to me.

[What do you think?]

‘About what?’

[It’s obvious. Whether the impure mark will actually reappear tomorrow morning or around this time.]

‘I think it will.’

[Oh… Do you have any basis for that?]

‘You know better than I do. How deeply this land has been steeped in the impurity of the demon realm since a thousand years ago.’

[Well, that goes without saying.]

‘After the kingdom that had existed in this land for countless ages before the Empire was established disappeared…’

[Ahem.]

‘I’m not blaming you. Just hear me out.’

[I do feel a bit guilty.]

‘Well, to continue, after that kingdom disappeared, the impure energy from the demon realm that had tried to make this land their outpost has taken deep root here. So whether the impure mark appears naturally or is carved by someone from the demon realm targeting this land, the mark will appear again.’

[Sound reasoning.]

‘If there’s one problem…’

[As you said yesterday and just now, it’s unclear whether this occurs naturally or if someone connected to the demon realm is deliberately creating it?]

‘Exactly.’

[Let me change the question then.]

‘Go ahead.’

As our conversation continued, Fafnir’s voice shifted from its usual frivolity to a calm tone revealing a serious and intellectual side.

Despite being known as the Red Tyrant and classified as humanity’s greatest calamity until the rise of the demon realm…

[Which of those two possibilities do you think would be better for the defense of this fortress?]

Whether it was revealing his nature as the apex of dragonkind, the intelligence and insight in Fafnir’s voice resonating in my head amplified his presence even through voice alone.

I had expected to eventually discuss this matter with others after my sister discovered that I had manually removed the impure mark, but…

I hadn’t expected to discuss it with Fafnir first.

‘Hmm.’

I let out a slight sigh internally as I considered how to answer his question.

It was quite a conflicting matter, but not one that required prolonged deliberation.

‘In the short term, I think it would be better if it occurred naturally.’

[And in the long term, it would be better if it wasn’t natural?]

‘Well, yes.’

[Why do you think so?]

I could provide plenty of reasons.

After swallowing a silent cough, I prepared to answer his question and began again.

‘If a being connected to the demon realm has infiltrated this fortress to create this mark, it proves there’s a flaw in the fortress’s management system.’

[Indeed.]

‘While the immediate revelation of a flaw in the management system might seem dangerous for fortress defense, it’s an issue that can be controlled through verification system improvements or counterintelligence activities.’

[And if the impure mark appears naturally, such control would be difficult?]

This was also easy to answer.

‘Before building a fortress of this caliber, they always assemble a large group of priests skilled in construction to thoroughly purify the area where the fortress will stand.’

[That makes sense. Even the most disciplined beings can’t avoid being affected, whether greatly or slightly, when directly facing the impure energy that seeps up from a place bordering the demon realm.]

‘You understand well. Then you must also know what it means if impure energy rises through such purification in this land.’

Fafnir responded to my question without a moment’s hesitation, his voice echoing in my mind.

[That purification or exclusion work whenever it appears is merely makeshift?]

‘That’s why I’m hoping this impure mark on the fortress was created by someone from the demon realm who infiltrated it.’

I truly hope so.

Before my regression, I was just a mercenary who passed through here until its moment of collapse, so I didn’t know the detailed situation of this fortress.

Considering that such issues occurred intermittently even before major incidents, it seems the Empire’s advanced magical engineering couldn’t completely remove the impurity from this land.

Whether understanding my earnest feelings or not…

[After hearing what you’re saying, I agree that would be better.]

Fafnir’s voice was full of agreement with my opinion.

Now that I’ve found an ally, all that’s left is to move forward in unity with them.

‘We need to search. Either for evidence that someone carved this with malicious intent, or if not, for the source contaminating this land.’

After calmly organizing my thoughts, I began to conclude the conversation.

[I’ll help as much as I can.]

‘I appreciate it. This is something I can’t figure out with my abilities alone.’

[Leave it to me.]

With these words, my lengthy conversation with Fafnir came to an end.

Though the conversation in my mind had ended, there was no time to rest.

“They say it gets quiet when rain or snow falls, and it’s really true.”

I had to engage in casual conversation with Shizu, who was matching her pace with mine beside me.

Though we weren’t far from the dining hall, I wanted to make up for not seeing her much today by talking with her even for that short distance, so I spoke to her, but…

Shizu, who had been listening to the sound of snow crunching under our feet with each step, stopped her already slow pace as soon as she heard my voice, and instead of answering…

“Kal. Can you… hear it?”

She asked a strange question.

…What is she asking if I can hear?

This feels similar to when my sister asked “Did you do it?” as soon as she saw me in front of the quarters this morning, though the context is clearly different.

But since it was more clearly stated than what I heard in the morning…

I focused my ears on all possible sounds around us, and…

*Thud thud*

“…I do hear it.”

I could detect one very disorderly set of footsteps besides the sound of our two pairs of feet that had been continuing until now.

“Strange footsteps.”

Even without Shizu pointing it out…

The footsteps I heard were quite strange to me as well.

They lacked the discipline you’d expect from soldiers or knights stationed at this fortress.

The weight conveyed by the footsteps themselves was also very irregular.

One step would resound with unquantifiable heaviness…

And the next step would sound so light that the previous heaviness seemed like a lie.

As if someone was in a great hurry but intentionally pretending to be leisurely to hide it.

With each sound, I became more convinced that these footsteps belonged to someone unrelated to this fortress, someone of a completely different affiliation.

And it wasn’t just Shizu and I who felt this peculiarity in the footsteps.

[…What is that?]

Even Fafnir, who always expanded his spiritual perception to assess the surrounding environment when not talking with me, let out a voice mixed with bewilderment.

‘Strange, isn’t it?’

[It’s a presence that’s difficult to describe in words, like something half-formed.]

Though the expression was quite subtle, even I who sensed the presence felt the same way.

‘Since I can’t identify it with spiritual perception alone, I’ll have to go check it out.’

I had no other thought than to move toward where the presence was felt.

With such an overtly suspicious presence being detected not far from here, ignoring it would be problematic.

“Let’s go check.”

I immediately suggested to Shizu that we go toward where the presence was felt.

In response to my suggestion, Shizu nodded with an expression of coldness rather than her usual gentleness.

“Let’s go carefully.”

She spoke in a way that clearly showed she was worried about me.

While I appreciated her concern, I was about to speak to dispel her attitude of worrying too much about me, but…

“You must be tired from overexerting yourself at the training ground today. If anything happens, I’ll protect you, so don’t worry and let’s go.”

The genuine concern from her lips, having heard about my overexertion at the training ground earlier, prevented me from saying more.

A big reason was that I couldn’t help thinking how beautiful even her every word was.

I had called Shizu an angel without wings after seeing her sleeping peacefully by my side these past few days…

But I was becoming strongly convinced that not just her sleeping form, but all her actions embodied an angel.

[This is severe. A severe case.]

Though Fafnir’s teasing voice came through, mocking me for becoming foolish whenever I thought about Shizu…

‘Please stop interrupting while I need to concentrate on thoughts of my angel.’

[…Huh.]

His mockery was useless against me, as I was confident I could make him not even recover his investment if he tried to tease me.

As I continued my thoughts, Shizu moved first toward where the presence was felt.

Unlinking her arm from mine, she positioned herself in front of me and took the lead toward the source of the presence.

“Follow me slowly.”

She spoke in a gentle voice that anyone would recognize as showing concern for me.

Of course, I had no intention of taking her words literally and letting her go alone.

I closed the distance between Shizu and myself as much as possible and matched her pace.

“You don’t have to push yourself…”

Shizu said worriedly as she looked at me.

“Once we started moving together, we became one body. If either of us falls behind in that state, it diminishes the meaning of being one.”

I concisely explained why I shouldn’t be separated from her as I closed the gap to almost the same level as when our arms were linked.

Seemingly impressed by my words, Shizu’s steps, which had tried to distance from me, once again matched with mine.

“O-one body.”

I could see Shizu’s body trembling slightly as she uttered these brief words.

I had only said something obvious, so why was she trembling like that?

[Hey, are you doing this on purpose?]

‘What do you mean?’

[Sigh…]

Fafnir’s cryptic criticism and sigh came at the same moment Shizu’s body was trembling slightly.

As we continued, alternately leading and following each other, we arrived at the source of the subtle presence.

“What is that…”

“Shh.”

What unfolded before us perfectly reproduced the strangeness I had felt through my spiritual perception.

And at that moment…

I realized what had caused the sense of discomfort I had felt when encountering something a few days ago.